Manami's drowning was ruled an accident. However, Yuko's investigation revealed something else. The children in her class can't be ruled out. And if no one else will do it, she'll have to punish them herself.
The book tells the story of a teacher's quest for revenge. At the end of her final lecture, she punishes who she believes to be the perpetrators through an infection.
The different points of view examine how the children deal with their psychological punishment, and how they came to be as they are.
The Vibe
I suppose everybody wants to be recognized for what they've done; everybody wants to be praised. But doing something good or remarkable isn't easy. It's much easier to condemn people who do the wrong thing than it is to do the right thing yourself.
Confessions is a 3 candle book. It takes the path of psychological horror over violence as the children need to learn their lesson, but handles it with restraint.
Confessions is a tightly paced, well-written narrative of revenge, presenting twist after twist that gets under your skin. Each new detail shows that the children are more complicated than they might appear. The narrative pieces itself together to reveal a satisfying tale of how mothers can impact their children.
By the time Yuko's final lecture was over at the end of chapter 1, this book cemented itself as a 4-star read, and it kept that momentum all the way through.